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Lee: Playing with Young 'not a big deal'

Lee: Playing with Young 'not a big deal'

WASHINGTON -- Last month, San Diego's Chris Young and Chicago's Derrek Lee took swings at each other. Now, they're teammates.

Young won the last spot in the Monster 2007 All-Star Final Vote, beating out Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano. Lee was named last Sunday as a reserve in balloting by his peers.

Will it be awkward?

"Maybe a little bit because of what happened," Lee said Thursday. "But it won't be a big deal. It won't be a big deal at all; it won't be an issue."

The two players have not talked since the incident.

In the June 16 game at Wrigley Field, Young hit Lee with a pitch that was at his head, words were exchanged, and the two took swings at each other, but neither landed a punch. However, they sparked a bench-clearing brawl.

Both received five-game suspensions, but Young got a break. Lee is still waiting to settle his legal matters.

Young has dropped his appeal. It's good timing. He started Wednesday, and would not have pitched in the final four games of the first half for the Padres. He'll miss the first game of the second half, but be eligible to pitch on July 14.

"It was smart," Lee said Thursday. "They said he went to the Ivy League."

Lee has appealed his five-game suspension, and a hearing was originally scheduled for July 2. However, that has been postponed indefinitely.

Carrie Muskat is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.